Drip vs. Trip — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 7, 2023
Drip refers to a small drop of liquid or the act of falling in drops, while Trip pertains to a journey or the act of stumbling. Both words have distinct meanings, related to liquid and travel, respectively.
Difference Between Drip and Trip
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Key Differences
Drip and Trip are two words that sound similar but convey completely different meanings. Drip is primarily associated with liquid. It can refer to the action of a liquid falling drop by drop, often from a leak. For instance, if water is slowly leaking from a faucet, it is said to drip. The sound, the motion, and the resultant small quantities of liquid all are encompassed in the term.
On the other hand, Trip is a multifaceted word, but its core meaning revolves around journeys and motion. A trip can be a short or long journey for leisure, business, or other purposes. For instance, one might take a trip to the beach for vacation. However, trip also has a secondary meaning, referring to the act of stumbling or losing one's balance. If someone catches their foot on something and almost falls, they've tripped.
Another difference between Drip and Trip is their usage in various contexts. While Drip can be used to refer to monotonous or boring individuals in slang, Trip can pertain to experiencing hallucinations, especially due to drugs. Both words have ventured beyond their literal meanings, finding relevance in casual conversations.
To summarize, Drip and Trip are distinct in their essence. Drip revolves around liquids and their motion, while Trip is tied to journeys and the act of stumbling. Their phonetic similarity is the only common ground, with their meanings charting different territories.
Comparison Chart
Primary Definition
Liquid falling drop by drop.
A journey or short excursion.
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Secondary Meanings
Slang: A boring person.
Stumbling or to experience hallucinations.
Associated Actions
Leaking, falling in drops.
Traveling, stumbling.
Common Usages
Liquid context, like water from a tap.
Journeys, accidents in walking.
Parts of Speech
Noun, verb.
Noun, verb.
Compare with Definitions
Drip
A device or method for slowly administering a liquid.
The patient was on a saline drip.
Trip
A journey or excursion, especially for leisure.
We had an amazing trip to Europe last summer.
Drip
(Slang) A dull or uninteresting person.
He's such a drip, always talking about the same thing.
Trip
To catch one's foot and stumble or fall.
He tripped on the rug and spilled his drink.
Drip
To fall in drops
Water is dripping from that leaky faucet.
Trip
A hallucinatory experience caused by drugs.
He was on a trip after taking those mushrooms.
Drip
To shed drops
An umbrella that is dripping all over the floor.
Trip
A mistake or blunder.
Making assumptions without facts is a mental trip.
Drip
To ooze or be saturated with or as if with liquid
A speech that dripped with sarcasm.
Trip
A going from one place to another; a journey.
Drip
To let fall in or as if in drops
A brush dripping paint.
A speech that dripped invective.
Trip
A stumble or fall.
Drip
The process of forming and falling in drops.
Trip
A maneuver causing someone to stumble or fall.
Drip
Liquid or moisture that falls in drops.
Trip
A mistake.
Drip
A slight intermittent flow or leak
Fixed the drip in the faucet.
Trip
A hallucinatory experience induced by a psychedelic drug
An acid trip.
Drip
See drip feed.
Trip
An intense, stimulating, or exciting experience
A power trip.
Drip
The sound made by liquid falling in drops
Listened to the steady drip of the rain.
Trip
A usually temporary but absorbing interest or preoccupation
He's on another health food trip.
Drip
A projection on a cornice or sill from which rainwater can drip, protecting the wall below.
Trip
A certain way of life or situation
"deny that his reclusiveness is some sort of deliberate star trip" (Patricia Bosworth).
Drip
(Slang) A tiresome or annoying person.
Trip
A light or nimble tread.
Drip
(intransitive) To fall one drop at a time.
Listening to the tap next door drip all night drove me mad!
Trip
A device, such as a pawl, for triggering a mechanism.
Drip
(intransitive) To leak slowly.
Does the sink drip, or have I just spilt water over the floor?
Trip
The action of such a device.
Drip
(transitive) To let fall in drops.
After putting oil on the side of the salad, the chef should drip a little vinegar in the oil.
My broken pen dripped ink onto the table.
Trip
To stumble.
Drip
To have a superabundance of valuable things.
The Old Hall simply drips with masterpieces of the Flemish painters.
The duchess was dripping with jewels.
Trip
To move nimbly with light rapid steps; skip.
Drip
To rain lightly.
The weather isn't so bad. I mean, it's dripping, but you're not going to get so wet.
Trip
To be released, as a tooth on an escapement wheel in a watch.
Drip
(intransitive) To be wet, to be soaked.
Trip
To make a trip.
Drip
To whine or complain consistently; to grumble.
Trip
To make a mistake
Tripped up on the last question.
Drip
A drop of a liquid.
I put a drip of vanilla extract in my hot cocoa.
Trip
(Slang) To have a drug-induced hallucination.
Drip
A falling or letting fall in drops; act of dripping.
Trip
To cause to stumble or fall.
Drip
(medicine) An apparatus that slowly releases a liquid, especially one that intravenously releases drugs into a patient's bloodstream.
He's not doing so well. The doctors have put him on a drip.
Trip
To trap or catch in an error or inconsistency.
Drip
(colloquial) A limp, ineffectual, or uninteresting person.
He couldn't even summon up the courage to ask her name... what a drip!
Trip
To release (a catch, trigger, or switch), thereby setting something in operation.
Drip
(architecture) That part of a cornice, sill course, or other horizontal member, which projects beyond the rest, and has a section designed to throw off rainwater.
Trip
To raise (an anchor) from the bottom.
Drip
Style; swagger; fashionable and/or expensive clothing.
His drip is looking fine, especially the Supreme t-shirt.
Trip
To tip or turn (a yardarm) into a position for lowering.
Drip
(finance) A dividend reinvestment program; a type of financial investing.
Trip
To lift (an upper mast) in order to remove the fid before lowering.
Drip
To fall in drops; as, water drips from the eaves.
Trip
A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
We made a trip to the beach.
Drip
To let fall drops of moisture or liquid; as, a wet garment drips.
The dark round of the dripping wheel.
Trip
A stumble or misstep.
He was injured due to a trip down the stairs.
Drip
To let fall in drops.
Which from the thatch drips fast a shower of rain.
Trip
An error; a failure; a mistake.
Drip
A falling or letting fall in drops; a dripping; that which drips, or falls in drops.
The light drip of the suspended oar.
Trip
(colloquial) A period of time in which one experiences drug-induced reverie or hallucinations.
He had a strange trip after taking LSD.
Drip
That part of a cornice, sill course, or other horizontal member, which projects beyond the rest, and is of such section as to throw off the rain water.
Trip
(by extension) Intense involvement in or enjoyment of a condition.
Ego trip
Power trip
Nostalgia trip
Guilt trip
Drip
Flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid;
There's a drip through the roof
Trip
A faux pas, a social error.
Drip
The sound of a liquid falling drop by drop;
The constant sound of dripping irritated him
Trip
(engineering) A mechanical cutout device.
Drip
(architecture) a projection from a cornice or sill designed to protect the area below from rainwater (as over a window or doorway)
Trip
(electricity) A trip-switch or cut-out.
It's dark because the trip operated.
Drip
Fall in drops;
Water is dripping from the faucet
Trip
A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
Trip the light fantastic
Drip
Let or cause to fall in drops;
Dribble oil into the mixture
Trip
(obsolete) A small piece; a morsel; a bit.
Drip
A small drop of liquid.
There was a drip of honey on the table.
Trip
The act of tripping someone, or causing them to lose their footing.
Drip
The sound or action of liquid falling drop by drop.
The drip from the leaky faucet kept me awake.
Trip
(nautical) A single board, or tack, in plying, or beating, to windward.
Drip
The action or fact of oozing liquid.
The drip of the paint created an artistic effect.
Trip
A herd or flock of sheep, goats, etc.
Trip
(obsolete) A troop of men; a host.
Trip
A flock of wigeons.
Trip
(intransitive) To fall over or stumble over an object as a result of striking it with one's foot
Be careful not to trip on the tree roots.
Trip
To cause (a person or animal) to fall or stumble by knocking their feet from under them.
A pedestrian was able to trip the burglar as he was running away.
Trip
(intransitive) To be guilty of a misstep or mistake; to commit an offence against morality, propriety, etc
Trip
To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict.
Trip
(transitive) To activate or set in motion, as in the activation of a trap, explosive, or switch.
When we get into the factory, trip the lights.
Trip
(intransitive) To be activated, as by a signal or an event
The alarm system tripped, throwing everyone into a panic.
Trip
(intransitive) To experience a state of reverie or to hallucinate, due to consuming psychoactive drugs.
After taking the LSD, I started tripping about fairies and colors.
Trip
(intransitive) To journey, to make a trip.
Last summer, we tripped to the coast.
Trip
To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip.
Trip
(nautical) To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.
Trip
(nautical) To pull (a yard) into a perpendicular position for lowering it.
Trip
To become unreasonably upset, especially over something unimportant; to cause a scene or a disruption.
Trip
(poker slang) Of or relating to trips three of a kind.
Trip
To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip; to move the feet nimbly; - sometimes followed by it. See It, 5.
This horse anon began to trip and dance.
Come, and trip it, as you go,On the light fantastic toe.
She bounded by, and tripped so lightThey had not time to take a steady sight.
Trip
To make a brief journey or pleasure excursion; as, to trip to Europe.
Trip
To take a quick step, as when in danger of losing one's balance; hence, to make a false step; to catch the foot; to lose footing; to stumble.
Trip
Fig.: To be guilty of a misstep; to commit an offense against morality, propriety, or rule; to err; to mistake; to fail.
A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble.
Virgil is so exact in every word that none can be changed but for a worse; he pretends sometimes to trip, but it is to make you think him in danger when most secure.
What? dost thou verily trip upon a word?
Trip
To cause to stumble, or take a false step; to cause to lose the footing, by striking the feet from under; to cause to fall; to throw off the balance; to supplant; - often followed by up; as, to trip up a man in wrestling.
The words of Hobbes's defense trip up the heels of his cause.
Trip
To overthrow by depriving of support; to put an obstacle in the way of; to obstruct; to cause to fail.
To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword.
Trip
To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict; also called trip up.
These her women can trip me if I err.
Trip
To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.
Trip
To release, let fall, or set free, as a weight or compressed spring, as by removing a latch or detent; to activate by moving a release mechanism, often unintentionally; as, to trip an alarm.
Trip
A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
His heart bounded as he sometimes could hear the trip of a light female step glide to or from the door.
Trip
A brief or rapid journey; an excursion or jaunt.
I took a trip to London on the death of the queen.
Trip
A false step; a stumble; a misstep; a loss of footing or balance. Fig.: An error; a failure; a mistake.
Imperfect words, with childish trips.
Each seeming trip, and each digressive start.
Trip
A small piece; a morsel; a bit.
Trip
A stroke, or catch, by which a wrestler causes his antagonist to lose footing.
And watches with a trip his foe to foil.
It is the sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.
Trip
A single board, or tack, in plying, or beating, to windward.
Trip
A herd or flock, as of sheep, goats, etc.
Trip
A troop of men; a host.
Trip
A flock of widgeons.
Trip
A journey for some purpose (usually including the return);
He took a trip to the shopping center
Trip
A hallucinatory experience induced by drugs;
An acid trip
Trip
An accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall;
He blamed his slip on the ice
The jolt caused many slips and a few spills
Trip
An exciting or stimulting experience
Trip
A catch mechanism that acts as a switch;
The pressure activates the tripper and releases the water
Trip
A light or nimble tread;
He heard the trip of women's feet overhead
Trip
An unintentional but embarrassing blunder;
He recited the whole poem without a single trip
He arranged his robes to avoid a trip-up later
Confusion caused his unfortunate misstep
Trip
Miss a step and fall or nearly fall;
She stumbled over the tree root
Trip
Cause to stumble;
The questions on the test tripped him up
Trip
Make a trip for pleasure
Trip
Put in motion or move to act;
Trigger a reaction
Actuate the circuits
Trip
Get high, stoned, or drugged;
He trips every weekend
Trip
A device for activating a mechanism, especially for setting off a trap.
The burglar was caught by a trip wire.
Common Curiosities
Can Drip mean someone boring?
In slang, yes. Calling someone a "drip" can mean they're dull or uninteresting.
Is a Trip always for leisure?
No, a Trip can be for various purposes including business, work, or leisure.
Is a drip always slow?
Typically, yes. Drip implies a slow, drop-by-drop motion of liquid.
Can Trip refer to a person's hallucination?
Yes, especially in the context of drug-induced experiences.
Can objects drip?
Yes, objects like taps or bottles can drip if they leak liquid.
How long does a trip last?
A trip's duration can vary, from short excursions to long journeys.
Can a trip be unintentional?
Yes, especially when it refers to stumbling or falling.
Can Drip be used as a verb?
Yes, Drip can be used as a verb, e.g., "The tap is dripping."
Can Drip refer to any kind of liquid?
Yes, Drip can refer to any liquid falling drop by drop.
Can you trip over a mental block?
Figuratively, yes. It means making an error due to a misconception.
Is a round trip the same as two trips?
A round trip refers to a journey to a place and back again, so it's considered one trip with two legs.
Can Drip have medical connotations?
Yes, like when referring to an IV drip in healthcare.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
